The Colder the Flame, the Brighter it Burns
by Princess LaLaBlue
Summary: Ryoko had problems. Everyone does, but hers included her temper and a spider shaped birthmark. And she set things on fire. With her mind. Dragged into the past by a misunderstanding, she learns that her origin is tied to Naraku, and from then on more problems pile up. Like an adorable girl named Rin, a perfect, egotistical demon, and a crazy little thing called love.
1. Always too Late

Prologue; Always Too Late:

I, Princess LaLaBlue, had written a story under this same name more than a year ago. For almost all intents and purposes, this story is the same, with a main OC by the name of Ryoko, though her personality has been changed some. If any of you recognize this story, it is because the first six chapters are basically the same as I had written for the story I had written a while back, but I have taken it down because I have changed many, many, many things that it is almost an entirely different story in the following chapters. Apologizes if this has inconvenienced anyone, but this story is back now, and in my opinion, better.

If I owned Inuyasha, life would be sweet. But no, its bitter and has the after taste of gym socks. So there.

* * *

><p>It was a normal day. Like any other. Completely ordinary in every way.<p>

Yeah, just kidding. Ahaha. There was no such thing as normal when you spent most of your days traveling back in time to Feudal Era Japan to slay demons to collect jewel bits with a boy who had dog ears and liked ramen. Come to think it, it really wasn't all that funny. More like a really bad nightmare.

Speaking of nightmares, one of Kagome's most recurring ones was happening right this minute. Only, if it was just a nightmare, she would be naked or have forgotten that people don't walk on their hands. No, this was real, and she was late to school, again. Like always. So probably right on time for her then.

The courtyard was empty as she ran quickly over to the lockers, nearly tripping onto her face as she hurriedly changed her shoes. Eri, Yuka and Ayumi had already made their way up to class, as did most of the other students, so Kagome was alone in her panic. Well, it's not like any of them expected her to show up today anyway. There weren't any tests, or any big projects due. It was just a normal school day. And would Kagome ever make the most of it.

She was going to do it all, eat lunch in the classroom, raise her hand to ask a question, and maybe even get some homework done tonight before she went to bed. There once was a time when all this might have sounded so exhausting to Kagome, but hey, being nearly killed Kami knows how many times by demons and undead things tends to put a new perspective on things like sitting behind a desk all day.

Traveling up the staircase, which still somehow made her out of breath despite how many demons she was chased by on daily basis, Kagome ran down the empty hall ways towards her class. Of course though, clumsiness got the best of her as her poorly slipped on shoes sought out vengeance, and tripped her. Books and pencils spilling all over the laminated floor, Kagome resisted the urge to shout out curses she learned from Kaede. But then, what did she have to be mad over? It's not like this didn't happen to her all the time, everyday…

Well, at least with Inuyasha off her back after she persuaded him to give her a week in her own time, and with grandpa busy cleaning the garage with Souta, there was nothing to give her any troubles or worries this day. Even the weather was sunny and beautiful! No, a little trip in the hall was not going to ruin her mood that was equally sunny. Nothing would.

Jinx, noun, a person or thing that brings bad luck. Also known as Kagome's ill-timed optimism as a rip of energy went through her, one that left her stiff with shock.

One was here? How? How could one show up here of all places, of all days? It just wasn't possible, no, it just wasn't even probable!

But the feeling didn't die, and the little chime of the jewel shard Kagome was now sensing didn't disappear. A shard was here, and it was calling out to her. It was dim, as if it was on the verge of losing its purity, but it held on enough to shine out to her senses.

Kagome ran, leaving behind her spilled book bag. She followed after the shard's call, winding through halls and passing lines of student filled rooms. With each turn, a new worry piled on top of another.

What would she do when she found the shard? Was it in a demon that might have followed her home? How would she call Inuyasha to defeat it when he was on the other side of the well, training in the mountains after she practically knocked him unconscious in order to get some time off? And why, why was the jewel shard calling from inside her own classroom?!

Kagome stood before the closed door that led to her classroom, out of breath, out of time, and out of options. She needed to see what was on the other side, and if her friends were safe. She prayed they were…

"Class, I would like to introduce to you Miss Ryoko Saito. She has just enrolled here, and so I expect you all to be on your best behavior and make her feel welcomed."

A murmur of greeting went out to the girl that stood straight and stiff at the front of the class by the teacher. She had a look on her face that betrayed her less than sunny disposition as she bowed to the class, reluctantly it seemed. Her long hair framed her face, thick, black locks like a curtain for the girl to shield herself behind. Her skin was fair, pale even, but that added to her bizarreness, like she was a painted china doll someone forgot to make smile when they created her.

This was what greeted Kagome when she slammed the door open, nearly tearing it off by its hinges in her panic. Of course, everyone looked at her in surprise, but she could only focus on one thing.

There it was. A jewel shard in her chest. Inside the strange new girl, hiding like a whimper in the dark.

But that wasn't it. It would be too easy if it was. Now in the same room with the girl, thing, whatever that held the shard, Kagome could sense something else. Or rather, be reminded of someone else when the new girl's eyes turned to look at her curiously like the others.

Her eyes were black and cold. Cold like…like who? Kagome could almost feel a name forming on the tip of her tongue, but common sense kept her silent as the teacher, Mr. Tanaka, finally spotted her.

"Ah, Miss Higurashi, how pleasant that you could join us today. I hope your recent bout of Dutchivian Flu won't keep you from finding your seat so class may begin."

"R-right. Of course sir."

Sheepishly smiling in face of all the oohs and awes from her friends at her unexpected return, as well as dramatic entrance, Kagome slinked off towards her desk. Nothing short of an earthquake could shake the feeling that she was being watched by the new girl, watched by those cold, pitch black eyes Still shaken by her sprint here and by the notion that the girl in the front of class was holding a jewel shard inside her, Kagome sat down at her desk, daring only to glance over at the stranger for a few seconds.

It was inside her. A shard. But, how? It wasn't tainted, but then again it wasn't pure either. How long had it been inside her? How did she get it? Why was she enrolling in Kagome's school?!

"Miss Saito, if you could just take a seat in the desk back there, we can get started on today's lesson."

Kagome cautiously watched the silent girl make her way to the back of the class, ignoring the following gazes of the others students. She reminded Kagome of a nervous cat strutting before a line of chained dogs. Wait? Why was this girl nervous? Was she even or was Kagome's eyes playing tricks on her? No, the girl was confident, sitting down at her newly assigned desk with a bored sigh, shifting about in her uniform as if it was uncomfortable. Well, maybe it was, and maybe that confidence was a mask for the nervousness Kagome suspected, but…

Eyes, black and cold. Cold…like hate concluded Kagome as she continued to watch the girl as the teacher began. She ignored the whispers of her friends nearby trying to grab her attention to ask how she was feeling. She focused on nothing but the girl, and the dimly shining jewel shard that was stuck deep in the middle of her chest.

She couldn't be a demon, Kagome would have sensed a demonic aura coming from her then. But…she wasn't human. She couldn't be in order to be so, well, for lack of a better term, normal. Jewel shards had nearly the same effect on humans as it did demons, it messed up what little good looks they had and drove them insane with power. But this girl looked like any other girl sitting bored in a class, if just a bit nervous for it being her first day. How? Was she dangerous? Should Kagome sneak away to get Inuyasha now, or just watch and wait to see if this girl was really dangerous? Well of course she was dangerous! She had a jewel shard stuck in her-

Slowly, the girl turned to face Kagome. And glare. Cold like hate and black like smoke.

Kagome remembered where she had seen such eyes before.

Naraku.

The girl had the eyes of Naraku.

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><p>Bum-bum-bum-buuummm! Yeah, short chapter, but the next one will be up in say, oh, tomorrow? Till then, be sure to review if you enjoyed this any! In the next chapter, Ryoko will make her debut.<p> 


	2. Problems

Problems:

Welcome to the second chapter (or first really, since the last one was a bit of a prologue). This one is a lot longer than that last, but usually, I will make my chapters about 5,000 words each. Anyhoo, thanks for making it this far. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Inuyasha.

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><p>The instant Ryoko saw the uniform, she knew that she wasn't going to like her new school. Well, it was already decided beforehand that she wouldn't, but now at least she had a reason other than her bent resentment over the fact that her father was sending her away from home. Though, she had just found yet another reason to add to her growing list. It was boring. But that probably was the standard of all schools. A requirement even.<p>

With a jaded sigh, she began to tap the eraser of her pencil against her desk in a slow rhythm. She was counting the seconds tenaciously. She wanted nothing more to leave this place, but her face remained coldly composed. Ryoko had, from an early age, learned to keep her emotions and thoughts to herself, having cultivated a large amount of patience and self-control over the years. Many of her father's friends, whenever they bothered to acknowledge her at his dinner parties, would always remark on how she was such a good, quiet girl with impeccable manners.

One day she would to show them how wrong they were, if just to tick off her father.

The reason for her quiet, taciturn disposition was because it was needed to control her true nature. If her patience wore even just the slightest, her malicious temper would show itself. She wasn't usually angry at anything in particular, it was just how she was naturally. It would be spurned quickly and die slowly. And no matter how she exercised her control, her anger was always there, burning and ready under her cold bearing, like a fever. It was a problem she did her best to control, for her own well-being as well as for others. A problem that, lately, was getting out of hand.

It seemed every passing year, it was just becoming too much for her to put up her calm charade. She did her best to keep it, but more and more, she slipped, and her mistakes were…deadly, to her father's rise to social fame.

That's why he sent Ryoko off to live in the city in her own little water logged, carpet stained apartment. At first she held out the hope that, maybe, he just thought it was time for her to be on her own, wanting her to grow on her own. But if Ryoko truly believed that, she would have another problem on her hands; insanity. Then again, with the way this teacher prattled on, insanity was looking less like an issue, and more like a really fun escape route for a really bored mind.

She sighed, turning her pencil around to start scribbling into the wood of her desk. Angry tick marks added up the side of the desk as the day continued on, each mark drawn in harder with every hour.

He didn't have to send her away. She was doing fine, she could regain control. She hadn't lost herself _completely_ in over two years. He didn't need to send her halfway across the country. She could keep control.

Maybe it wouldn't be all that bad. A new school, a new class of giddy teens, a new town. It might not be so bad here. A whole new world for her to explore and be ignored by, one that didn't know anything about her except the fake last name her dad gave her so he wouldn't have to be connected to her. She also wasn't allowed to visit any time soon either. The thoughts of her father's conditions for her new life made her squirm, or maybe it was the itchy new skirt. It was a tossup.

Ryoko's eyes then drifted over to the clock for what had to be the fifth time within the last two minutes. Nope, the small hand still hadn't moved. It's like it knew she hated math. That meant forty more minutes of this subject until it was time for another to torture her mind. She was about to sigh and shift her position in the rigid chair again, when something caught her attention.

Someone actually. A girl. Pretty, like most girls were. Her hair looked soft even from a distance and framed a gently angled face with full lips, her figure an embellishment of curves. All in all, just another perfectly normal girl. Well, maybe not that perfect, as Ryoko was able to recall that this was the one that arrived very late, thus saving her from the forced ritual of saying something about herself to her new class. There was just one thing.

She was staring at Ryoko. No, not staring, watching. Brown eyes waiting for something, but what she expected to see, Ryoko didn't want to be bothered to become curious over. But alas, she was. Maybe because the teacher was still driveling on about derivatives, or maybe perhaps it was the way the girl didn't look away embarrassed when Ryoko returned her stare. In fact, she looked suspicious.

And frightened.

She should be. Home economics was next.

This day was never going to end.

o0o

The end of school bell rang with a horrible, empty clang, but Ryoko was revealed to hear it. After grabbing her heavy jacket from the lockers, she went outside to meet the cold spring air gratefully, though one would not think it by the set detachment that was on her face. Her first day was over and so far, so good. A few students had come up to her during lunch to talk to her, but they quickly left her be when they could not more than a aloof nod or two from her between the bites of her meal. No one really bothered with her for the rest of the day. Which was just fine.

She wanted to be left alone. It was for the best for her in the long run, and her father often encouraged this trait of hers. She hardly cared for his opinion, but however it played out, she was a solitary person. It was another problem of hers. People and her, they didn't mix. And when they did, it would always come out like some freak concoction of disgusting proportions. Like her meal in home ec today. But hey, it could be a lot worse. She could be failing math. Give it time though...

Ryoko's pace quickened as she rounded the corner, eager to leave. Though normally one to get lost in a long stroll, she had several reasons to hurry today. She had just gotten a new apartment, and so had a lot of unpacking to do before she called it quits tonight. Not to mention she needed to catch up on the several weeks' worth of homework she missed by enrolling part way into a semester. And she needed to buy food. And some clothes. Oh, and she needed to find a job to pay for all those things.

Ryoko let out heavy sigh, thinking on the many things that could, and probably would, go wrong since she had to handle all these things by herself. She was a pessimist by nature, and a cynical one at that, and for good reason. Because on top of everything else, as she noticed with a glance at her watch, Ryoko had less than two minutes to catch the train. Great.

She barely made it into the rail car just before the doors shut themselves, allowing a little victory smirk as she tried to catch her breath. Well then, at least she would make it home in time. Though, she was starting to feel a bit warm, but maybe that was because of her quick jog over here. Unneeded exercise always did put her in a foul mood. That was probably it. She could hold herself together long enough to make it-

"Oh, I'm sorry." Exclaimed a chiming feminine tone just as a shoulder bumped against Ryoko's. Turning to face a girl that was being pressed against her thanks to the overcrowding of the rail car, the small smirk she had been wearing was ruined by her taciturn disposition.

"It's fine." Ryoko replied dully. Her eyes took in the appearance of the girl quickly, notching that she was wearing the same tacky green skirt she was. Ah, another victim of the school uniform. Recognition went both ways it seemed, as the girl smiled sweetly up at the much taller Ryoko.

"Oh, hi! I'm Ayumi, I'm in your class!"

"How pleasant." The wavy haired girl kept smiling, either ignoring or failing to notice the hint of deride in Ryoko's reply. Funny, she never thought herself that subtle when it came to her indifferent hostility. The girl did, however, take recoiling note of Ryoko's black eyes, turning towards her friends to avoid them. People often did that. Ryoko sometimes wondered why, but her father would always say it was because they looked unnatural. Cold, dead, and unnatural. Over the years, she began to believe him.

"This is Eri, Yuka, and Kagome. They're in your class too!" Went on the girl, pointing to three others that were beside her, all squished together. Ryoko boredly looked over at the other girls, seeing their matching uniforms and the smiles they all wore. Well, all except one.

It was the girl that had been looking at her in class. The one that arrived late and had caused a commotion. Wonder what was eating her now, seeing as how she was still looking at Ryoko with that suspicious and scared expression. Maybe rail cars made her nervous. Ryoko was turned away from her thoughts on the chime of Ayumi's voice, making her miss the growing anxiety on the odd girl's face, the slight tremble of worry.

"So you just moved here, that's exciting! Where are you living?"

"Nearby." Ryoko answered, fidgeting to get off her jacket. She was getting hotter now in the crowded train, a rising fever replacing the warmth she felt before.

"That's nice."

"How do you like school so far?" Perked up the one that might be Yuka. Or Eri. Ryoko couldn't be bothered to tell them apart.

"I've only been in it for one day." She replied, tone still curt but becoming heavier with annoyance. She didn't have time for this. She only wanted a quite ride back to her apartment, not to be overcome by a dimple blessed welcome wagon. It was…dangerous. Not just because she was a recluse and wasn't the best when it came to being sympathetic and kind, but-

"How about Tokyo then? Found anything you like about living in a big city yet?" Asked Eri, or Yuka, but again, who cared? Their voices were grating to Ryoko's ears, her desire to be left alone growing with each passing second she put up with them.

"It's fine." Confessed Ryoko as she turned to fully face the four girls. All the girl's smiled back at her, seemingly, polite reply. Except for, again, that last girl. She had to be the one called Kagome. The name fitted her. She was like a basket case, still looking at Ryoko in suspicion. Was it her she was all nervous about?

Getting frustrated that the other girls were still chatting away at her, Ryoko turned back to the one with the biggest, most insipid smile.

"Ayumi was it?" The wavy haired girl beamed at her name being spoken by Ryoko "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure!" She chimed, and Ryoko let a smile grow till it was as sweet as the girl's in front of her. Sweet like a rotting rose. Leaning over till her face was level with Ayumi's, Ryoko continued to grin, though her tone hardly matched her expression as she spoke.

"Your laugh could rival the sound of nails on a chalkboard. And you and your friends are infinitesimally even more annoying. So please, just shut up."

All smiles dropped into slack jawed disbelief and confusion. Ryoko though chuckled, ignoring the fact that the rail car was slowing down to stop at her station. She didn't have much time before she had to bolt, but before that, she needed to make sure that these girls wouldn't dare try anything as foolish as make all friendly with her again. This was harsher than her normal technique, which was to ignore people until they lost interest in her, but she couldn't help it. The fever was continuing to build up in her, along with her always present, always cold anger, creating worrying beads of sweat on her forehead.

"It will be better for you all not to bother me, ever again." She added, her smile replaced by a hard glare that warned each of the girls.

Met with nothing but stares, Ryoko chuckled again, forcing a touch of regret over her actions down as she straightened herself back up to her full height. Ignoring the rising heat on her face and the shaking of her hands, she gave a half-hearted wave as she started to make her way towards the now open doors, joining the shuffling masses leaving the rail car.

"Well, glad we understand each other then. See you all in class tomorrow."

It was quick, Ryoko barely seeing the subtle movement out of the corner of her eye. That odd girl, Kagome, stepped into her way, blocking her from leaving. The two collided a bit roughly thanks to Ryoko's lack of reflexes, but that seemed to be what Kagome wanted as she took the opportunity to stare up at Ryoko's face.

Their eyes met. Soft brown and pitch black. The girl, Kagome, locked her gaze onto Ryoko's and wouldn't look away like so many others had done. Ryoko could see a condemning burn behind the softness of the girl's eyes, a judging glare. What she was looking for or thinking, Ryoko didn't know. But as they continued to hold each other's gaze, she got the oppressing feeling that she was failing the strange girl's standards. Failing, falling even. Into a blackness lit by red eyes, with hollowed out screams…an all too familiar place…

Ryoko scoffed, throwing those thoughts out of her head as she pushed past the girl, their shoulders brushing as she made towards the soon to be closed doors.

"Watch where you're going Sailor Scout."

With that, the rail car doors shut themselves, Ryoko on the other side, running towards the stairs that led off the platform.

"T-that was rude!" Seethed the usually soft spoken Ayumi, recovering herself as she placed her hands on her hips, watching the retreating form of Ryoko with the others.

"Hm-mh!" Agreed Eri and Yuka with firm shakes of their heads.

o0o

As the tram continued on its way, Kagome kept silent as her friends continued to brush off their encounter with the new girl. They had all firmly decided to keep clear of her, not only because she was rude, but because she was also just a bit scary.

They didn't know the half of it. Kagome saw it again. Him, Naraku. In the girl's eyes, for a moment, when they had locked gazes, the black edges began to change and bleed colors. It was so subtle, Kagome again hoped it was just her imagination, but upon further inspection, there could be no denying. It was like she was a reflection for that monster. Just an empty, cold mirror filled with him.

She failed to find out if the girl was human, demon, or even alive for all she knew despite giving her the benefit of the doubt all day. Kagome wanted to give the girl a chance to prove her wrong, make her think that the poor air conditioning at school was finally getting to her. But the girl, Ryoko, had a jewel shard within her, both pure but impure, and she had Naraku within her, whether she was aware or not. And that needed to be dealt with. Now.

It was time to call for Inuyasha.

She would need all the help she could get.

o0o

Ryoko had problems. Everyone had problems, ones exactly like hers. From her lack of patience and high temper, to her reclusive tendencies that no one seemed willing to respect, someone else no doubt had the same problems. Well, not exactly the same, but at any rate, she shouldn't feel special because of them or different. If only it was that simple.

See, Ryoko had one other problem. And compared to all her others, this one was a doozy.

Feeling sick with her temper now, Ryoko chided herself for letting those stupid girls rile her with their imbecilic hatter. She was even more furious at that Kagome girl. What right did she have to stare at her like that? Like she could judge her worth with just a stare? How Ryoko would like to knock that girl down a limb or two...

Maybe her father was right in sending her away. Her temper was getting worse. She could hardly go a day without feeling it rise within her, wanting to play and injure. Destroy. The slightest things set her off, the smallest of worries were chaotic. She was losing control. But she needed to find it again. She needed to be alone. She needed to just disappear.

That way, she couldn't hurt anyone. Not ever again.

Ryoko had problems, and right now, standing alone in an alleyway she ducked into, she was just a mess of them. Sweat trailed down her cheeks, chilling her neck as she began to have trouble breathing. She waited too long this time, she kept too much down today. She needed to let the fever out, or it just might rip her in half. Ryoko almost wished it would.

Wincing at the pain that traveled down her arms and into her fingers, Ryoko let go. Biting her lip to keep herself from crying out, a harsh light sparked to life around her.

A blue flame. Crackling, blistering, and hungry, it devoured bits of trash and anything else besides Ryoko that lay in the alleyway, tainting everything with its ethereal hue.

Ryoko had a temper. She was happier in isolation than with people, and yet hated herself each and every time she made people stay away. She had black, unnatural eyes, her father hated and feared her, and she never seemed to have enough money.

But the worst of all her problems was that she set things on fire. With her mind.

And it hurt like a bitch every time.

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><p>Well now, how was that? Ryoko will bring quite the attitude with her wherever she goes, as I find I can't write for a character that isn't at least somewhat sarcastic. Her inspiration was Uo and Hana from Fruits Basket, so, of course she is a little strange and tough-skinned. She'll loosen up eventually though. Anyways, in the next chapter (which will be up maybe tomorrow or the next), join Ryoko while she's having some inner thoughts as she eats dinner alone, until a boy with dog ears crashes into her living room and spoils her meal.<p> 


	3. Marked

Marked:

Hey, for clarification, this story begins after episode 4-5 of the final act in Inuyasha, so a few episodes before Kohaku joins Sesshomaru's group and after Sesshomaru gets the Meido Zangetsuha. I will be messing with the events however, and some things might be negated, but over all I stick to the plot line. For those who haven't seen the final act, well, spoilers. Duh.

Disclaimer: I bring you this important news bulletin. I do not own Inuyasha. That is all. Now on to the weather: sunny with a chance of smexy Sesshomarus raining from the sky…

~o0o~

"Inuyasha!" Called out Kagome, running from the crumbling well she had just emerged from. The late afternoon sun beat down through the green leaves that surrounded the edge of the ancient village, but Kagome hardly took notice of the forest's blossoming spring, never halting till she reached her destination.

"Inuyasha?"

There was no half-demon there to greet her when she entered the village however.

"Damn it, Inuyasha!" She cursed, losing her initial dread at her irritation that the rude dog had yet to show up with his ever yapping muzzle. Pushing aside the weaved curtain before the doorway of a familiar hut, Kagome rushed up to its one resident.

Kaede, sitting nearby her fire, was surprised and unable to welcome back the young miko before Kagome spoke.

"Kaede-sama, where's Inuyasha?" Kagome demanded as politely as she could manage.

"He was up in the forest beyond the village a while ago, but he-"

"Shut yer yap, I'm here!" Shouted an all too familiar voice, cutting off Kaede with its arrogant tone.

"Alas, speak of the demon." Muttered the old woman, turning back to the fire that was warming her meal, not wanting to be in the middle of yet another spat between the two. Inuyasha strutted into the hut then, growling and glaring at Kagome.

"Quiet down Kagome, you're screaming is giving me a headache from the other side of the village!"

"Inuyasha! We've got a problem!" Kagome shouted, almost giving truth to Inuyasha's accusation. He just scoffed, folding his arms over his chest to turn away.

"What? You failed another exam? Feh, why do you go home if you know you'll only be a-"

"There's a girl with a jewel shard in my school!" Kagome interrupted, having enough of his stupid mood swings keeping her from getting right to the matter of why she was back. It seemed that Inuyasha finally got it through his thick head that she wouldn't have come back six days early from her break just to have a not so friendly quarrel with him as he turned back to face her, expression serious.

"What?"

"Are ye sure child?" Asked Kaede, her one eye overcome with confusion and worry for what the young miko had just announced. Kagome nodded her head solemnly, the air became stifled with tension.

"I saw it. It was inside her, but it wasn't fully absorbed or impure. It was just, in her." She struggled to explain, and Kaede instantly put a hand to her chin in reflective thought as Inuyasha became rigid in confusion.

"A girl, huh? Is she a demon? I thought there weren't any in your time."

"She's not a demon, I would have sensed that. But she's not human either. I, I couldn't tell what she was. But she's going to my school!" Kagome again struggled to explain, knowing that she was failing by Inuyasha's standards. But this was strange, even for them! And how come he always expected her to have all the answers?

"You think it's because she's after the other jewel shards?" Asked Inuyasha, to which Kagome only shrugged.

"Doubt it. My friends and I talked to her on the train home, but she only seemed annoyed to see us. She was really very rude."

"You did what?! What if she tried to kill you?!" Inuyasha shouted, having a little panic attack as vein of irritation twitching to life on his forehead.

"It wasn't my fault she rides the same train home as me! And I needed to find out if she was a danger anyways! You seem to be missing the point that she was in my school! As a student!" Protested Kagome in her defense.

In her mind, she made the best choice given her options, having been alone, and she wanted to wait to see if had what she was seeing just wasn't some trick being played on her by her eyes. She was just a little tired form their recent incident with Yorei-Taisei, and that's why she went home in the first place. She hardly expected to find a jewel shard in the time era she had come to see as peacefully dull. But as much as she wanted to give her senses a chance, Kagome wanted to give the girl herself a chance. It was usually so easy to tell between good and bad for her more often than not, usually because the good didn't try to eat you alive. She wanted to find proof of the good that she hoped was in Ryoko, against all signs to the contrary. But as Inuyasha yelled at her, Kagome only felt foolish.

"Don't be so stupid Kagome! If she has a jewel shard, then of course she's dangerous! And we need to take her down and get the jewel shard back!"

"I guess so…" She admitted, wondering if her sympathy towards the deceivingly human girl would bring consequences of a terrible nature. Inuyasha gritted his teeth at the sight of a down spirited Kagome, but with a scoff, turned towards the door.

"Feh. Well come on, let's go kill her and get this over with. Old hag, tell the others where we're going." The old woman nodded as she followed Kagome and Inuyasha out of her home.

"Aye, and I shall go look into this matter as well. It is more than strange that another jewel shard would survive to Kagome's time."

"What's it matter? We'll just go over and get it anyways! In a girl or not, human or whatever, that shard is ours!" Said Inuyasha in full confidence, resting a clawed fist on the hilt of the Tessaiga in assurance.

"Inuyasha, there's one other thing." Kagome brought up hesitantly. The hanyo only scowled, sinking too deep into his desire for a fight to be patient with anyone right now. He was just itching to test his sword's new ability again.

"What is it now?"

Kagome looked away, back towards the forest that held the way back to her home, back to the place she fought here in order to keep safe. Worry slowed down the words she wanted to say, and so did confusion. There was just too much to this that she couldn't comprehend, not that she ever fully did. She still didn't understand where she and Inuyasha stood, and yet that was without a doubt what she relied on more than anything else. Today just, brought a lot of concerns flooding into one that just happened to take the form of a girl with a jewel shard and the eyes of…

"When I first met her, I, I thought…I mean I looked again and again, and I couldn't sense any aura coming from her, let alone a demonic one, but I kept seeing his face-"

"Speak woman, we don't got all day!" Inuyasha interrupted impatiently, almost growling. This was a time to take action! Not to stutter!

Kagome had given the girl a chance to prove her wrong. And, while there was nothing to suggest that the girl was evil, or even wanted the jewels, there was no denying what she saw. And that was worry enough for Kagome. For her friends back in her time, for her family, even for the girl herself.

"I thought I saw Naraku. In her. In the girl's eyes. Like she was part of him...an incarnation." She spoke softly, looking up into the gold that was Inuyasha's eyes. The hanyo failed to hide the surprise in his gasp, nor the hate that took away the softness of his eyes that Kagome felt that only she took the time to see.

"Let's go." He said, the longing for a good fight replaced by a coiling anger as he helped Kagome onto his back, taking off towards the woods.

Kaede, concerned, but holding faith in their abilities, went back inside her hut. Pulling out the scrolls and incantations she kept on hand for any and every use, she sat down, and began to hardly escaped her notice that the afternoon sun shined a little less warmer now. She was wise to note it as an omen.

o0o

The comforting sound of a key clicking against the tumblers of a lock sounded out as Ryoko slowly opened the creaking door to her apartment. Though tired, covered in sweat, and starving, a small smile rose at the sight of the darkened room before her.

"Never thought I'd be so happy to see these mold stained walls again." She said as she closed the door behind her with a kick.

Turning on the single light that suspended itself from the ceiling, the sight of torn open boxes and over spilling suitcases greeted her eyes. Ah, home. For now at least. Until she would be moved again. Tossing her backpack into the mess that was everywhere, Ryoko shuffled her way over to the small closet space that acted as a bathroom, not bothering to take off her shoes.

One long shower later, she emerged, wrapped in a towel and adoring the feeling of conditioned hair and flushed skin. Stepping over a pile of thickly bound books, she searched for something to change into. By the stove in the kitchen corner, Ryoko found a pair of shorts. They didn't smell too bad. Well, it was good enough for Ryoko at least. She hated doing the laundry. She also hated cooking. Actually, there wasn't much that she didn't hate when it came to housework, but she was only human.

Well, her parents were at any rate.

Dragging out a baggy zip hoodie, a tank top, and a pair of black thigh socks from under pile of job applications, she made her way back to the bathroom, the only place where she wouldn't trip while changing.

She sighed almost happily after drying her hair, her locks tamed straight and warm from the heat. She loved getting clean. It felt nice to scrub something spotless, though that hardly ever extended into her doing her chores. It's was just a way of coping, she guessed, at least, that's what her psychiatrist once told her. Her happy musing soon ended though, as she caught her reflection in a lengthy mirror that sat above the sink before her. Usually she never paid much attention to her reflection, not one for vanity, but she couldn't help but pause to look at herself.

Despite feeling perfectly healthy Ryoko had heard all her life from her father and the many doctors he took her too that she was quite sickly. Or at least she appeared that way. Her dark hair clashed with the natural paleness of her skin, flushing out what little color she had in her cheeks by its contrast. And even though she seventeen, womanhood came late to her body, and there were only signs to the awkward beginning of curves showing themselves at the swell of her hips and chest. Her thinly framed face owned a small nose, thin lips, gaunt cheeks, and of course, black, unfeeling, eyes. Ryoko never thought herself pretty, but she never thought herself ugly either, despite everything else that was wrong with her ego.

But, if there was something ugly about her, beyond her scowl and beyond her cold eyes, it would be that _thing_.

Turning around and letting the towel fall off her back some, she cringed at the sight of it.

Her birth mark. A scar shaped spider that took up the span of her back, stained a faded crimson. The body of the creature took up the whole of her spine, its legs clinging to her sides, holding her in a permanent embrace. It was absolutely revolting.

Most birthmarks diminished over time, or at least stayed relatively the same size as at birth. Not Ryoko's. With each passing year, it grew larger and larger, trying to swallow her away. That thought scared her. What scared her even more was that one day, someone else might see it. See how ugly a part of her was. Beyond her temper, beyond her fevers. Something truly ugly. It wasn't even possible that such a scar could exist in perfect clarity and form at the very beginning of life. She had no idea if it was connected to her fire or not, but then, there is only so much coincidence in the world. Still, she never bothered to find the purpose in its existence. It would only lead to trouble anyway.

With a scoff, Ryoko looked away from the scar, putting on the tank top to hide the sight of it. Dancing her way around the messy room as she slipped on the hoodie, she came to a bow in front of the refrigerator.

"Now, I wonder what's on tonight's menu." Opening up the door, an almost instantaneous inspiration came to her at the sight the little tiny light bulb inside greeted her with.

"Pork that is rotten. Sweet chicken with fuzzy greens. Mildew in the rice. A refrigerator haiku by Ryoko, thank you."

Coal colored eyes continued to scan in search for something edible, landing on the only option available to her.

"Leftover pizza. Oh thank the Kami, I'm saved." Ryoko sighed in relief. Taking the small baggy filled with veggie lover's delight, she took a tentative sniff when she opened it.

"Eh." She shrugged as she trotted over to the mattress that acted as her bed. Her bed frame was lost somewhere in the mess, but she had just been too lazy to set it up yet. Flopping down upon and grabbing a remote simultaneously, she flipped on the TV as she began to munch on cold pizza.

This was her life. It might seem dull and lonely to others, but Ryoko was satisfied that she at least had this life. Satisfied, or at the very least coping. It was getting hard to tell these days.

A routine schedule and lack of friends allowed Ryoko to fall into a muted dullness that was easy to live with. She just didn't want to think or feel. Thinking about her problems only made them worse, because she would be tempted to solve them. For the rest of the world, that might be a good thing. For Ryoko, not so much. Whenever she tried to rid herself of her problems, they only seemed to be pushed onto someone else. Burn someone else. So she kept it all in. She had to.

It was hard. It always had been, since day one. And over the years it had only gotten worse, her fevers spilling out whenever she exerted herself, or when her temper became too much. Normally she could control them, keep them in and calm, but the fevers, just like her anger, were unpredictable at the best of times. No wonder her father wanted to toss her from the countryside into the city scape where she would no longer be his problem.

She had to face facts. She was alone in this now, officially. She always had been, but this was the first time that fact had really settled in her. Now doubt this would haunt her in her dreams tonight, alongside the red eyes that always visited her with their hungry screams, as they did every night…

Ryoko shook her head, the odd laundry detergent commercial that flashed before her bringing her back to ground reality.

"Now, now. This is not the time to get all introspective." Ryoko chided herself with a self-defeated sigh, "You have a paper to write and a math assignment to fail."

Somehow able to flop off the mattress and stand up, Ryoko made her way over to where she threw her backpack. Tripping over a few boxes of dishes that had it out for her, she made it, and took out a little folder. Bored already, she read over the paper she slipped out.

"Topic for this week's assignment. Write about the-"

A crash of metal and a crunch of wood came to Ryoko's undivided attention as she stiffened up at the alarming sound of her door being broken apart. Eyes wide, she turned in time to see a young man, clothed in red, launch himself in, crouching on the floor, and snarling.

"-boy with dog ears who broke down my door." She finished, greatly confused. Ryoko only blinked as the boy with white hair, and yes, dog ears, spotted her, and his snarl lowered into a growl that hinted at not so neighborly feelings. Ryoko was used to strange things, kind of comes with the territory of setting things on fire with her mind. But this left her sort of at a loss over how to react. Maybe she had just fallen asleep and her nightmares were just trying to lull her into a false sense of weirdness?

"Kagome! Is this her?" Shouted the boy suddenly as he stood himself up to his full height, which matched Ryoko's. She just kept staring at his ears, watching them as they twitched at any sound. They looked so soft, she wanted to touch them…

Wait, Kagome? At the name, Ryoko's brows lowered in thought. Why did that name sound so familiar?

"I told you to wait for me Inuyasha! I can't run that fast!" Shouted back a feminine voice from beyond the mess that was Ryoko's door. Man, that was going to be a bitch to explain to the land lord. Yes Mr. Ito, you heard right, a boy with dog ears wearing an old red hamaka just burst in, uninvited, and started waving around a sword. Oh, wait a minute.

"Is this her or not?!" Screamed the boy, now brandishing a sword that was the entire length of Ryoko's body and then some. It had to weigh maybe three times more than the dog-boy, but he held it as if it were nothing more than a paper fan. It scared her to think how strong he was then. Yes, now she was finally reacting. Ryoko was becoming scared. And that was never, ever a good thing.

"It's her, but like I said, I don't sense anything dangerous about her!" Spoke a girl that had to be the feminine voice from before, who just now appeared at the boy's side. The boy didn't seem too satisfied with her answer.

"You said you sensed Naraku!"

"No, I said I saw Naraku in her eyes! But I might have been mistaken! Maybe…I mean, she's rude, sure, but she doesn't seem to be _entirely_ evil." Corrected the girl, folding her arms over her school uniform.

Lost in her own little panicked world, Ryoko's grip on the backpack she had yet to drop tightened as she remembered why that girl's name was so familiar, and her fright channeled itself into annoyance.

"Uh, yeah, hello? Kagome was it? Do you mind explaining some of this to me, sometime before I have a mental breakdown? Or is it already too late for that?" Ryoko spoke with a calmness that surprised her in light of her circumstance, but panic always did do funny things to her.

"Hey! Shut up! We're talking here!" Shouted the boy to Ryoko, only to then receive a light swat on the head by Kagome.

"Inuyasha! Don't be so rude!"

"Well, I'm calling the police." Ryoko mumbled to herself determinedly. She did not need this, whatever this was. Stepping over a suitcase, she started to make her way over to where the phone was.

"Just tell me where the jewel shard is woman! Evil or not now, she will be if we don't get that shard out of her!" The boy, or Inuyasha as Kagome called him, growled exasperatedly. Kagome, with a look of defeat, glanced over towards Ryoko, who had finally found her cell phone.

"It's…it's in her chest." She whispered, concern crossing her features.

"Calling the police now. You're going to get the bill for my door tomorrow." Ryoko told them just as she finished dialing, about to put the phone to her ear.

"Well then, let's get it out!" Decided Inuyasha. And like that, with barely a blink, Ryoko somehow was thrown to the ground.

Landing on her stomach, all she could do was lie there and wait as pain slowly overtook one side of her face and chest. She was right, the boy was strong. Very strong, and very fast. All breath was gone from her lungs, and she was left desperate for air. Without knowing how she was able to do it, Ryoko managed to find her voice when the Inuyasha boy landed next to her, a clawed hand grabbing a hold of her jacket to drag her closer.

"Hey! G-get away from me!"

"Inuyasha! You're scaring her!" Called Kagome, trying her best to zig-zag between the piles of clothes to get nearer.

"We don't have time to tip toe around her feelings! We need to get it out of her! And–" Inuyasha stopped suddenly as he glanced over Ryoko's bare shoulders and back the tank top revealed, her hooded jacket having nearly been pulled off of her in his attempts to get a grip on her. What he saw etched in her skin made his eyes widen.

"Kagome, look."

Making it to her friend's side, Kagome glanced at what had Inuyasha attention. She let out a despaired gasp.

"Naraku's mark…"

Ryoko, who had been trying crawl away from the boy's unnaturally strong grip, suddenly stopped. They were staring at her mark. Unable to stop it, a wave of shame came over her, but that subsided to a much darker emotion.

Naraku. Kagome said only a name, but why did Ryoko become afraid at the sound of it? The fever that always burned inside her suddenly ran cold, her burning blood chilling as she started to quiver. The name struck the cords of her rapidly beating heart with raw fury and terror, as if the pulsing organ recognized what her mind could not fathom. But it was just a name. Only a name.

Then why did she want to burn everything to hell?

Without thought, and without regret, Ryoko allowed the fire that was always desperate to be let out overcome her. It wanted to protect her, like it always had, even if what it was protecting her from was only a simple name.

"I said get away from me! Leave me alone!" She shouted in fury, twisting herself out of the boy's grip to then turn around, her opened palms facing him. A sharp pain left her hands as a blue, writhing light came winding towards the intruders. All thoughts about what she was doing, or that she was yet again hurting someone didn't cross Ryoko's mind. The fire wanted to burn, and she let it.

It widely missed Inuyasha, but his companion shrieked, the fire swallowing her away.

Dissipating into the air with a soft hiss, the fire died away as suddenly as it had been summoned, Ryoko's skin burning as she took in shuddering gasps. Suddenly, as clarity returned, horror filled her at the thought of what she might have done. She searched for the girl, but was shocked to find the dog eared boy standing before her, an unharmed Kagome behind him, a little surprised but no worse for wear.

"Looks like we do have an incarnation of Naraku's on our hands," Inuyasha smirked, cracking the knuckles of his clawed hand. "Guess that means I don't have to go easy on you then."

~o0o~

The LaLaBlue Post:

Ah, I do love misunderstandings. So much fun.

Also, Ryoko does not know who Naraku is, just making that clear. She was born in Kagome's time and was born of two humans. Everything else will be explained later. But anyhoo, in the next chapter, we got more misunderstandings, and a rather time twisting turn of events. Hehe.

I also want to make it clear that nothing is as it seems. Ryoko's true nature is much more complicated than just being another incarnation...

Please review if you have questions, I'll be on the internet all, well, always. Next chapter will be up within a day or so, I promise! X my heart and all that jazz.


	4. Oops

**Oops:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of…wait, wait a minute, what's this?! Oh, nope. Never mind. I still don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters.**

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><p>"Looks like we got an incarnation of Naraku's on our hands," Inuyasha smirked, cracking the knuckles of his clawed hand. "Guess that means I don't have to go easy on you then."<p>

Ryoko, shaking, ignored the pain that pricked at her finger tips at having used up so much of the fire that normally burned at fever pitch. This had probably the most she had summoned done in over two years, and whenever she released this much it hurt her almost as much as it hurt those she directed it at. But seeing as how she was being confronted by a boy with dog ears who was wielding a sword, Ryoko thought now might be a good time to exercise her ability.

She didn't have any time to think of any better plan to defend herself, or of any explanation or hint if this was all real or just a figment of her finally broken mind. She didn't have much time for anything as the boy, Inuyasha, sword held high, came forward, growling.

She didn't think. She reacted in fear.

It was the worst thing she could have possibly done.

Before the boy could reach her, she unleashed all the fear and anger that had built up within her, filling the room with the unnatural light of her fire. Inuyasha was stopped by the blinding light, turning away from it to feel flames lick at his shoulders and back. Paying no mind if pain was soon to follow, he looked around the instant the sensation of heat subsided some. Everywhere the blue fire had spread itself, coating the furniture and floor but burned calmly, as if it had no intention of reducing anything to ashes. It hardly acted like any fire he knew, licking about him lazily as if it preferred to feel rather than burn him. Still, a suffocating heat began to rise around Inuyasha, and he turned towards the last place he saw his friend.

"Kagome!"

"Here!" She answered quickly from the other side of the room, right by where the strange girl had been. In an instant, Inuyasha was by Kagome's side, ready to lift her onto his back and take her to safety.

"Come on, let's get out of here!"

"Wait!" She ordered, kneeling down at the collapsed form of the strange girl. It appeared that she had passed out, though why, Inuyasha could care less.

"Ryoko? Ryoko, get up!" Kagome called out to the girl, shaking her shoulders gently.

"What are you doing Kagome?!"

"She was just defending herself! We can't let her suffocate!"

"She's an incarnation of Naraku, of course we can!" Inuyasha rebutted Kagome's suicidal kindness with. He figured that would be that, and was about to take Kagome out of here, with or without her permission, when what she said next froze him.

"What if she's like Kagura?" Kagome whispered, knowing that he would be able to hear despite the rising roar of the flames around them "She never asked to be a part of him. Just like Kagura. What if…what if she wants to be free?"

Kagome didn't bother to look up from the unconscious form of Ryoko, her almost peaceful expression nothing like the scowl she had seen before. In fact, she looked nothing like she had first appeared, nothing like a cruel demon's creation. She looked innocent, and scared. A moment longer of studying her features, and Kagome heard a growl of defeat from Inuyasha.

"You're gonna get me killed one of these days, you know that?" He grumbled before hoisting Kagome into his arms and slinging Ryoko over his shoulder. With another growl, Inuyasha evaded the fire with ease, despite how it seemed to follow after him, reaching for the strange girl as if to rescue her from him. He made it out of the apartment however, and as sirens started to fill the air, Inuyasha safely took them onto the rooftop of the next building over.

"Where to now?" He asked Kagome as he overlooked the tiny forms of humans running about below them, all in a panic to douse the now devastatingly high flames. He would put it out before they could get it, since they would hardly be able to handle it, but he wanted to hear what brilliant plan the miko would come up with now.

Kagome stared at the unmoving figure of Ryoko that was still slung over Inuyasha's shoulders, and shrugged.

"Mom did say dinner would be done in an hour…"

o0o

"We better put her by the well. If mom sees her she'll want to put her in the guest room. I'll be back with a first aid kit." Kagome instructed as Inuyasha landed in the yard of the Higurashi home, night now dimming the evening sky. Inuyasha rolled his eyes as his friend raced towards the back door of her home.

"Right. Cause that shack is definitely gonna hold her when she wakes up."

Doing what she instructed despite himself, Inuyasha tossed the still unconscious Ryoko onto the floor inside the wooden shrine that the well was kept in. It was dark inside, and though his nose told him not to be fooled, Inuyasha couldn't help but notice how each shadow looked like tangled webs. Maybe he was just anxious about having an incarnation of Naraku so close to the one thing that kept Kagome returning to him. The sooner they got the jewel shards, the better.

Kagome came running back as Inuyasha pushed aside his thoughts. They would need to talk about what they needed to do, and worry would not help anyone.

"Okay, I got iodine, and bandages, and burn ointment." Kagome announced as she immediately knelt down to the crumbled heap of dark hair and hoodie that was Ryoko. Lifting said jacket some, Kagome cringed at the state of the girl's skin, noticing the same raw colored red was covering her hands as well.

"She's badly hurt."

"Feh, how stupid! She brought it all on herself, not being able to control her powers." Sneered Inuyasha as he slumped himself down in a corner, sheathed sword resting across his lap. He watched as Kagome continued to keep herself busy herself by wrapping up the burns of the girl who continued to fidget in her unconsciousness, almost as if her body was unused to sleep.

"She may not be human, but she does not smell like a demon. In fact, she doesn't smell of anything. It's damn frustrating and not natural. Everything smells one way or another, but not her." He continued after a moment. It had taken him a while to know that he senses weren't playing tricks on him when he first saw the strange girl, but now that everything had calmed down, there was no doubt. The girl smelled like…nothing. Absolutely nothing. Maybe if his nose was that of a full-fledge demon he'd get something, but even then he'd doubt it.

"I know," Said Kagome with a frustrated sigh, she almost finished wrapping the girl up. "I've been looking all day, but I can't sense anything. No demonic energy, no miasma. I can't even sense her aura! She's not dead, I think, so her life doesn't depend on the shard, but I don't know what will happen if we try to remove it."

As she spoke, she could see jewel more clearly than before, as plain as day, trapped in Ryoko's chest. As faint as a heartbeat, as bright as blinding light. The shard seemed to be trapped between a state of both purity and impurity, a dangerous potential. No doubt Naraku had plans for this, plans that would harm her and her friends through this girl. And yet, Kagome, for all she could sense, for all she could see, could not find evil in her. Rudeness, certainly, but evil…

"What's she doing here? Now? How did Naraku get her into the future?" Inuyasha mused out loud, and after a moment Kagome shook her head.

"I don't know."

"We still need to get it out of her."

"It's deep. If we try, it might just-"

"Kill her?" Inuyasha finished.

"Yeah." Sighed Kagome, shifting till she was sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees, the faint light of a new moon keeping her from being left in complete darkness "Maybe Kaede will know how to deal with this."

"That old croon? Doubt it." Scoffed Inuyasha, and Kagome sent him another glare.

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"Yeah, take the jewel shard out so we can go home." He put forth as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Kagome's glare grew harder.

"If I purify the jewel, I could kill her."

"And? She's a part of Naraku! She has the mark!" Argued Inuyasha, and Kagome stood up, insulted. She might not know if this girl was completely innocent, but damn it, she was raised in a time where everyone was innocent until proven guilty! Feudal Japan was feudal for a very good reason!

"And I am not going through the trouble of bandaging her up just to have to kill her! Plus, you just saved her!" She huffed back at Inuyasha, who still sat slumped in the corner, now looking away to grumble.

"So? I can change my mind about who I want to save!"

"No you can't!" Shouted Kagome, stamping her foot some.

"Who says?!"

"Don't you two ever shut up?" A third voice spoke.

Before Inuyasha had time to stand up, Ryoko, sore, scared, and feeling as if her lungs were going to give out on her, grabbed a hold of Kagome. Taking advantage of her surprise, Ryoko brought the shorter girl close, gripping one hand at her neck while the other twisting her arm up behind her.

"I don't know who you two are, or what you want. But I really couldn't care less." She growled, gripping Kagome's arm harder when she tried to free herself. Ryoko was weak and terrified, reacting purely in fear, so by every right, she was much, much stronger than the school girl she had in a lock.

"You should," Warned the dog eared boy, his gold eyes narrowing to slits "since we were the ones that rescued you from being burned up, you idiot. Guess that was a mistake. One I won't repeat."

"Inuyasha, don't be hast-" Ryoko forced the protesting Kagome quiet, placing her spare hand right over her throat, fingers growing hot.

"I said shut up." She warned, feeling sick with herself. She may be reacting in fear, but still, the lengths she was finding herself willing to take made her feel more than uncomfortable. It made her feel dirty, tainted. But she needed to survive, no matter what. Even if that meant losing her control for a little while longer, she needed to live. It's all she had. Feeling reinforced in her decisions, Ryoko glared right back at the golden eyes of Inuyasha.

"Now, either you two let me go, or little miss talkative here loses her grating voice. And her neck."

Ryoko almost half-convinced herself she was actually capable of going through with what she said, and the now shaking, but still mostly annoyed Kagome seemed to buy it completely. Inuyasha however, looked as if he was stuck. Was he actually considering her offer? What the hell was wrong with this boy?

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted in protest, annoyed that her boy was taking so long to rescue her. This was one dysfunctional couple Ryoko realized despite her state of panic.

"Alright, alright! I'll save you." Said the dog boy with a huff, as if all this was just a large inconvenience.

It happened so fast, and Ryoko was certain she didn't even have time to even blink before it was over. Inuyasha, with clawed hands, leaped forward and yanked the girl out of Ryoko's grip as if it was nothing but tissue paper. Within the same second, a foot was placed on her chest, kicking her back. In the blur of the moment, Ryoko felt something leave her. Her balance.

Inuyasha saw it all. His eyes widened as a flash of blue then blinded him, and he turned away to protect his sight. As quick as the light lit the dark of the shrine, it left, leaving Inuyasha to once more stare wide eyed, and confused.

"…oops." He manage to grumble after a minute.

"Oops?!" Screamed Kagome, who Inuyasha had tossed aside once he rescued. "You nearly got me killed with your teasing! Don't you ever stop to think about how…"

Kagome trailed off, noticing that something was missing. Something with thick black hair and a very rude disposition.

"Where did she go?" She asked, looking all around as if she expected to find Ryoko in the rafters. Well, where else could the girl have gone? It wasn't as if…

"Wait, the shard, it's gone." Kagome stated, looking over to where Inuyasha had trained his eyes. Standing up, she could then see what he was so intently staring at.

The well.

"If she's not here, then…"

"Yup."

"Great." The two mumbled to themselves as they came to the only possible, and yet impossible solution as to where Ryoko had gone.

No, more than impossible. Unthinkable, unimaginable. Just plain-

"Hey, Inuyasha?" Kagome's voice interrupted Inuyasha's thoughts on what was possible or impossible any more. Eyes still staring at the well in hope that a dirt smeared Ryoko would crawl out any minute now and save him a headache, the hanyo growled.

"What now?"

"I feel…funny." Kagome confessed slowly, her voice sounding a little distant to Inuyasha.

"You look funny too, but you don't hear me complain-Kagome?!" Out of the corner of his sight, Inuyasha saw Kagome lose consciousness in time to catch her. His arms wrapped themselves tightly around the girl as he lowered her slowly to the floor, cradling her. Her soft, warm eyes lost their light and focus, becoming unsettlingly dim. When she closed them, Inuyasha could feel a cold growing inside the girl he held so closely.

"Kagome!"

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><p>Thanks to Shay and wickedgrl123 for reveiwing, and thanks to all who have fav and followed this story. I know its hard to get recognition in this side of fanfiction, but I will be keeping at this story no matter what!<p>

With that said, keep a weather eye out, for in the next chapter, poor Ryoko gets thrown back in time. The chapter's done already since its so short, so I'll post it tomorrow. And don't worry, the count down to Sesshomaru has already begun...


	5. Lost and Found

**Lost and Found: **

Spoilers! This chapter has the monk Mushin in it. If none of you remember him, he was a minor character that was the father figure that raised Miroku and taught him his lecherous ways. I thought it would be funny to have him be Ryoko's first introduction to the past, but he will have his uses in explaining a few things since he does have some understanding of Naraku and demons. But anyhoo, enough of that, get to reading the chapter!

Sorry it took me so long to update. Thanks for the favs, follows, and reviews! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I own Ryoko. I own the plot. I also own a lunchbox. And a cat. And a bunch of sweaters. I do not, however, own Inuyasha.**

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><p>At first there was nothing.<p>

Following that all too quickly was a splitting headache.

"…ow…"

Ryoko's eyes remained closed, not daring to open in case it might only bring her more pain.

Eventually, and Ryoko didn't know when, Ryoko came to notice the feeling of dirt beneath her, her nails digging into the ground as if it was the one responsible for the headache that made her whole body shake with nausea.

What had happened? Was she in her apartment? Did she fall down some stairs or something?

Afraid to open her eyes, she kept still for some time, wondering if she would ever be able to move again. Everything hurt, and she just wanted to lay there for all eternity to wallow in her misery. But, she had to get to school. And so, regretfully, Ryoko opened her eyes.

At first, she saw nothing. But then, it moved. A cloud.

Moonlight poured down around her, welcoming her with its soft light. Finally able to see her surroundings, Ryoko was shocked to see she was surrounded by vine covered stones, all leading up to where the moonlight spilled in. She seemed to be at the bottom of some kind of hole.

Slowly, through the rising haze of her confusion and headache, Ryoko's memories returned to her to explain. She remember Inuyasha and Kagome, she remember her apartment burning down. She remembered waking up in the shrine, and falling down the well when that dog eared idiot kicked her-

The well? That's right, she fell in when Inuyasha pushed her away from Kagome. She fell in the well and the next thing she knew darkness took her. So, was she at the bottom of it? Certainly looked like she was, but it didn't make sense that she was seeing sky since the well was inside a shrine. Or so she thought when she first woke up to Inuyasha and Kagome's arguing.

It took many slips, and possibly a fingernail or two, but Ryoko eventually clawed her way out. There was a worrying thought at the back of her mind that when she made it out, that Inuyasha might be waiting for her. But the only thing that greeted her was more night tinted sky and a small field surrounded by woods.

Was this where Kagome and Inuyasha had taken her? And what about the shrine? Ryoko couldn't remember anything that would shed light on her confusion, but Tokyo had to be somewhere around here.

Lifting herself completely out of the well, scuffed and bruised, Ryoko forced herself steady on her feet. Wherever she was, whether Inuyasha or Kagome were nearby, whether if she had finally snapped, she didn't bother to think or care about. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to get back to Tokyo and drown in a hot bath.

o0o

She messed up again. Her father was going to kill her. If nature didn't get to her first.

"Okay, the north star is that bright one next to the big dipper. Right? Or is it by the little dipper? I'm pretty sure there was also something about a bear too…" Ryoko trailed off with a hopeless sigh.

Not only had it become increasingly dark as evening trailed into the middle of the night, but Ryoko had yet to catch a whiff of car exhaust let alone the lights of the city she was still looking for. She was cranky, hungry, tired, and worst of all, lost. Not even the stars she searched gave her a sense of direction, the forest too thick to even see where the branches ended and the sky began.

She scowled as she once more tripped over yet another rock. Her house slippers were not enough to protect her feet from the elements, which were about to be reduced to stubs if she didn't find a path or road soon. But that looked highly unlikely as the woods grew thicker and darker as Ryoko trudged slowly on.

"It's just been one mess after another. Outdoing a dog eared boy and this creepy forest will be tough though." Ryoko muttered, though why she was keeping her voice low, she didn't know. She hadn't come across anyone since leaving the well. Not even a house cat.

But, thinking on the last people she had come across before she fell through the well, Ryoko felt it wise to keep quite though. As clarity set in overtime though, she had noticed her hands, which were beginning to blister, were wrapped. Ryoko recalled that Kagome girl was the one responsible for this, and a wave of guilt came over her for her hasty panic that could have gotten Kagome hurt in a far worse manner. Maybe she was really trying to help, but then again, that dog boy was talking about taking something out of Ryoko's chest, which could prove fatal, so maybe Ryoko was right to split when she did.

She just hoped that she didn't come across either of them any time soon.

"Well, could be worse. Could be back at home, doing math." Ryoko whispered. Hearing a twig crack nearby, crunched no doubt by the weight of large animal, she stiffened.

Optimism really was not her forte. Now making a promise to be as quite as possible just in case there were man eating wolves living near Tokyo, she walked on. With all that happened to her today, that possibility would seem pretty tame, but still unwelcomed.

There was something she could do to help her situation some, but she was still debating it. So far she had not seen anyone around, and if there were some hungry creatures nearby, it just might help scare them off. Plus, it was getting ridiculously dark. This was the kind of situation that called for it to be used, and with no way of hurting anyone.

Resolution firm, Ryoko paused a while to concentrate. Soon, she felt a deep warmth spread from her chest, pleasantly stinging her skin.

It was odd, but whenever she was calm, her fire could burn without hurting her. Most of the time, it was almost lazy, dancing in her palm with slow, small licks, never hurting her or a stitch of her clothing. It seemed to be all it wanted, to burn out in the open, but of course, she had little choice but to keep it hidden when around others, which was the whole reason for Ryoko's fevers in the first place. Her fire did not like being contained. If it was held down to long, if she kept it from burning for an extended period of time, it would become resentful, and angry. This anger often fueled her own and whenever her control broke free, even for an instant, so did the fire with a vengeance.

But here, alone, she let it play, its company almost enjoyable in the lonely woods. With a bright, blue hue illuminating her surroundings, Ryoko continued on her way, feeling better now that she had some light.

Her nerves settled, Ryoko began to fall prey to another troublesome feeling. Boredom.

"In silent dreaming, remaining still were we are, we travel so far."

At the end of her haiku, she started another, one more in tune with her feelings.

"Green and pure as faith. My path un-tread, dark, and long. Fuck I hate walking." She finished with a groan.

Normally, poems brought her comfort. One of the few happy moments she had with her father involved him reading poetry to her when she was little. Sometimes he recited his own. She loved hearing all of them, but was partial haikus as a child since they were the easiest to remember. Eventually it became a game. She and her father would take turns coming up with them on the spot, trying to outdo one another in either flamboyancy or sheer silliness.

Maybe one day she would become a poet herself. It might not pay well, but it would be better than nothing. Her father might have some words to say about her following in his footsteps, ones she would not doubt ignore. But hey, it wasn't exactly like she had many career options. She would never be good with customers, or coworkers, or animals. Anything except plastic plants. Maybe.

Blaming this strange trail of thought on exhaustion, Ryoko let out a tired laugh. In the quiet, the sound of her humor was followed by another. The rustling of leaves. It could have been the wind, even more likely it could have been Ryoko's imagination. It could have been anything.

But then there was movement. Then the sound of steps, and then a shadow. It was almost wisp like, drifting between the trees gracefully. The shape seemed almost unnatural, but it was still recognizable as human. Sort of.

Either way, someone was following her.

The panic she had just subsided came flooding back, her fire burning higher and brighter. A rush of a breath came as she saw the shadow move again, closer. Instinct took over.

Her surroundings became a blur as she began to run. It might have not been the best of actions to take, because maybe they might have been willing to help her out, but instinct came first, and logic later. Besides, she didn't really have an explanation of the top of her head for why she was on fire. It would just be awkward to explain. It always was.

She paid little attention to her surroundings as she continued to sprint. Not where she was, not where she was going, not even to the new pain of her feet beating against the ground, having left her slippers behind. All that she could focus on was the warmth of her fire that grew hotter with each step, spreading across her body like a living blanket. It wanted to protect her, it wanted to keep her safe, because it could sense as well as she that the stranger _was_ following her. But she had never used her fire to protect herself, and she knew it would end up doing her more harm than whatever chased her.

It had to be human, since Ryoko could only hear one pair of legs following her. What if it was that Inuyasha? The very thought of him looking for her to get even for what she almost did to his girlfriend actually made Ryoko run faster. It was beginning to feel ridiculous to her how scared she was getting, but fear was a silly thing like that.

It seemed her fear of getting caught was justified however, as with every turn or fallen log she climbed over, the stranger only seemed to get closer and closer. No longer was Inuyasha or the thought of wolves on her mind; her fears dragged down much deeper. She couldn't put a name to what was chasing her, nor did she want to. She only wanted to get as far away from it as possible.

But nothing Ryoko did helped her get far ahead of what was chasing her. Her breath became too erratic as her lungs began to burn from lack of air. The adrenaline that had given her energy before was waning, and the fever in her was causing her to lose strength. It wouldn't be long for whatever was chasing her to finally-

The earth dropped away. For a moment, Ryoko feared she was back inside that well, falling. But then dirt, stones, and branches scrapped at her, and she felt herself tumbling down. She could feel cuts forming on her arms, legs, and even face as she continued to fall, not able to even scream. It seemed to take forever, but when Ryoko made it to the bottom of the ledge she failed to notice, it became obvious to her that she would not be up any time soon. She could feel the back of her head was bleeding with what no doubt would soon turn into a concussion.

Of all the luck in the world, hers seemed to be the most cursed.

In her failing line of sight, a figure stepped in. Ryoko didn't hear anyone climb down the ledge after her, and yet somehow, there they were. It had to be the person chasing her. She wanted to move, but only the flames on her body were able to as they danced at the danger she was in, wanting to defend her but not able to do much as weakness came over her.

Still, she struggled to at least prop herself onto her elbows, though her ribs screamed at the slightest of her efforts to breath. More cuts and bruises came to her attention, but she pushed them all aside as she saw the figure stop before her. Looking up, she could see nothing but a silhouette. It was slim, and tall. Whoever they were, their hair was long, so long that Ryoko could swear she felt it brush against her face. Soft, and…familiar? Just like that the figure became all the more threatening, and Ryoko pushed herself to get up again, only to slam back down against the ground as her body gave up. She tried to get one last look at the stranger, but her eyesight grew worse as a wave of nausea overtook her, paralyzing her further.

She wanted to scream at the figure, tell it to leave her alone. Her voice only managed to let out a tired moan as she closed her eyes, feeling the presence of the stranger stop to kneel beside her.

Ryoko's failing senses told her that someone was now speaking to her, giving what sounded almost like comforting words, but as darkness took her for its own once more, she couldn't bring herself to care.

o0o

Ryoko could not remember the last time she had ever slept so well. Not a hint of red eyes, screams, or even a creepy clown invaded her sleep. Nothing but dreamless black for hours. At least, she presumed it was hours, since when she dared to crack open one of her eyes, she was immediately blinded by morning light.

There had to be a better way of starting each day. Besides getting up. But what did it matter, she was awake now.

Slipping off the heavy blanket that was on top of her, Ryoko sat up, stretching.

It was mistake.

In an instant, Ryoko was bent over, clutching her ribs as if she expected them to shatter apart. Everything hurt, throbbed, and screamed at Ryoko to stop moving. She gladly complied, and with a stifled groan, stretched back out on the plush futon. She was getting really sick and tired of being knocked unconscious. Having two concussions in one day could was not healthy to say the least, along with all her new collection of colorful bruises. She would have to see a doctor. Ugh, medical bills.

She swore, she would never try to move again. She would just stay in bed all day, who cared about school when they were dying anyway? Not her, certainly. She didn't care about it when she was healthy, but now that-

…wait, futon? She didn't own a futon.

In an instant, Ryoko shot straight up, ignoring the pain the quick movement brought to her everything. Her eyes were forced to adjust to the morning light, and what they saw was not comforting.

The floor of the room was lined with tatami mats, wood arches reaching up high above to form lofty rafters. The room itself was very open, appearing more so because of the grievous lack of furniture. It was clean however, and the scent of incense flittered all around. The whole place looked like it was a piece of living history, and she was instantly reminded of her grandmother's house. Only, her grandmother lived in Nagoya, not Tokyo.

What the…hell?

Never did Ryoko think she would be missing her messy apartment, but this was just ridiculous. Was she in some old timey hotel? How did she even get here? Could she even afford to stay in a place this fancy? Wait…her apartment had caught fire. And then Inuyasha and Kagome…the well, the woods…did she walk all the way to her grandmother's house? Was she being held prisoner by gram-gram?

As Ryoko jumped from one conclusion to even worse ones, she didn't notice the sliding door behind her open. An old man, bald, with white eyebrows and a long mustache to match, smiled at the sight that was Ryoko.

"Oh, I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to wake up." Greeted the old man. Ryoko, brought down from her terrified thoughts, turned around sharply.

"Ahhh!"

Ryoko's sudden surprise drove her to stand up, but her sore body demanded to sit down. In the end, her legs become tangled blanket that had covered her. Her mouth dropped open to tremble in great confusion, and she tried to stand back up, but this time her body refused to do more than breathe.

"Well now, I knew my face was wrinkled, but I did think it was that terrible." Huffed the old man, his cheeks and nose shining red with drink.

"W-where, uh, w-ho-o? Just…where am I?" Ryoko finally decided to end on. Who was this man? Is he a friend of Inuyasha's? Did this guy kidnap her or was he going to help her? Gah, too many questions, not enough brain power to keep up!

"How about we start with a simple greeting? Mmh?" Asked the old. He slowly bent himself down to the ground, his ginormous belly making the task quite difficult until it ended with him almost flopping to the floor. He nodded his head as he introduced himself. "Hello my child, I am the great, humble monk Mushin. Are you feeling better?"

Ryoko blinked a couple of times. Monk? She looked him over. For all intents and purposes, he was just an old man. But as she began to calm herself, she saw that he was indeed garbed in robes of yellow and brown. A monk's robes. Then, was this place a temple? That would explain the old fashion vibe. But how did she end up here?

"Kind of. Maybe. No. No, defiantly not." She answered, not really sure what to make of this new piece of information.

The old man chuckled.

"I see your mind has yet to return to you yet. Perhaps some more rest is in order before we talk more. Or better yet, a drink." He reciprocated with, extending a hand to which, attached at the wrist, was a white jar. From its opening, Ryoko could smell the strong sting of alcohol, and she felt a vein in her forehead twitch. No, calm. The last thing she needed was her temper to flare out.

The old man seemed harmless enough, if a bit exasperating, but looks can be deceiving, and she didn't need to make another enemy. Still, Ryoko needed to find out where she was and better yet, how to get back to Tokyo.

"How did I get here?" She decided to start with. The monk, who had started to guzzle down the contents of the jar he had offered to her, gulped, his face becoming even redder with drink.

"I should be asking you that. I found you, three days ago, on the steps of this temple. You were hurt, and have not stirred from sleep until now."

Ryoko was taken aback by this news. The last thing she could remember was walking in the forest after she got out of the well. Did she end up walking all the way here and then pass out? No, she would have remembered something then, but her mind was uncomfortably blank. There was the vague notion that something else happened as well, but however she got here, she was here now. And after glancing over herself, Ryoko saw that the monk did help heal her burns and bruises by applying new bandages to her hands and arms. Almost all of the marks were gone, though most still sang out in soreness. But why this man didn't just call an ambulance and send her to a hospital, she didn't know. She didn't want to assume the worst, as that would only bring her an even worse headache, but this situation she got herself into was pretty bizarre even by her standards.

First thing was first though. Ryoko suddenly bowed in gratitude, using her polite charm.

"I thank you for taking care of me, but may I use your telephone? I need to call someone."

As much as it pained her, she really only had one option and that was to call her father. She had no money to get back to Tokyo, and no place to stay when she got there. Maybe he would let her come back home. Maybe pigs would sing.

Ryoko's thoughts about her father left however, as a very confused expression washed over the monk.

"Telly-phoon?"

"What?" Asked Ryoko incredulously.

"What?"

"Look, I need to call my father." Ryoko slowly spat out, feeling her temper flare despite her attempt to remain well-mannered. "He's gonna be angry enough that I set my apartment on fire, again, let alone that I am far out of the city limits like we agreed on."

"Your father keeps a close eye on you then, hm? Pity to keep such a pretty girl like you locked up." The monk said, completely changing the subject with a drunken smile.

"You have no ide-what does that matter?! Get me a phone!" Shouted Ryoko, standing up in annoyance. The monk frowned, pouting almost.

"Rude manners can ruin any charm that a pretty face holds."

"If I wanted a tacky proverb, I would break open a fortune cookie. Phone. Now. Please." She demanded, her hand stretching out as if she expected him to hand it over. The monk's pout became stubborn as he crossed his arms and looked away from the furious girl, insulted.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

A little vein on Ryoko's forehead burst.

"A phone! Any kind of phone! Telephone, cellular phone, cell phone, cell, handset, call box, phone booth! I need one, so tell me where one is!"

Ryoko's patience was wearing thin. She had managed to keep some of her control over her fire, but she was strongly tempted to burn off the idiot's caterpillar like eyebrows to help jog his memory. It didn't help any that the monk looked up at her like she had grown three heads spontaneously.

"…huh?"

Ryoko's sore body twitched in anger, but she held her breath and counted backwards. Upon reaching zero, she let out a little 'tsk', and walked past the old man.

"Never mind." She bit out as she made her way to the sliding door the monk stood by, "I am clearly depriving a village somewhere of their idiot, so I won't take up any more of your time."

Opening the slide with a rough toss, Ryoko began to march in search of a way out. The layout the temple the monk lived in threw Ryoko for a loop for just a minute, but the sound of the morning beginning outside guided her towards the exit. She smiled in relief as she slide back the final shoji door that separated her from the sun, and felt herself calm down some as she felt a breeze play through her hair.

Before her was a quaint, strange little scene. Nothing but woods surrounded her and the temple, and the faint sound of a river could be heard rising over the lazy morning lull. The sky was a perfect blue, and a soft breeze played through the spring grass that surrounded the temple courtyard. There was no paved or gravel road to be found, but Ryoko soon spotted a beaten down dirt path that seemed to lead away from the temple. Maybe there would be a house or a store not that far down it.

Despite every joint and muscle aching and her lack of shoes, Ryoko began walking down the short path zealously. She couldn't wait to get out of this place, wherever this place was. Was she even in Tokyo, or even anywhere close to it? No, she had to be in the country. That had to be it. It was far too quiet around here, with only birds singing and no heavy traffic accompanying them. Under other circumstances, Ryoko might have found it pleasant, but if this were under other circumstances, she would be at home, in bed, hiding from the morning under the covers.

"Where are you going?"

Turning to see the monk following her, Ryoko suppressed her need to groan.

"Home." She replied bitingly.

"Oh. And where is that exactly? By the strange way you speak, I assume you are not native to the mainland?" Ryoko's looked at the monk in confusion as he caught up and matched pace with her. She needed to get out of here and find a capable adult, not a drunkard. But until then, it was probably in her best interest to humor him, that way he might leave her alone.

"You're right, I'm not from here."

"I thought so. That explains it then." The monk said with satisfaction as he scratched his belly. Now Ryoko was really confused.

"Explains what exactly?"

"Your rude mannerisms for one thing. It also explains why you wear such strange attire."

The begrudgingly held conversation continued even as Ryoko worked her way down what was the beginning of a steep stone staircase, having made it out of the temple courtyard.

"No local woman would mark themselves with barbaric piercings or be seen in such revealing clothes, it only brings trouble. Though, you're not quite…filled out enough for me, so you have nothing to worry from this monk."

"Why does that not comfort me?" Ryoko mumbled as she touched her ears, where the alleged 'barbaric piercings' the monk spoke of were. Earrings had never been widely accepted in Japan, and multiply piercings even less so. It should be no surprise that she got them to annoy her father, and so it wasn't all that shocking to hear the monk deride her for them as well, as they were attributed to punks. Well, she was a punk, but she didn't need this monk's opinion about how she was looked or dressed. Ryoko knew that many people had a tough time in realizing that their unwanted, but he took it to a whole new level.

"Look, I thank you for taking care of me these past few days, but you seem like the last person who can help me get back home. If shorts and telephones are too much for you, I don't want to burden your brain with bus fares and taxis. You might have a breakdown, or more likely I will." Ryoko said as the stairs she took twisted them, revealing a view of a distant valley that the woods had hidden. Water flooded fields bordered by grass knolls opened up before her, dirt paths stretching themselves through and across as far as the eye could see. Nothing shouted civilization to her, no power lines, houses, cars, nothing. She was in the middle of nowhere. Just…perfect.

"More strange words. I am certain you will find no 'taxis' around here. Not many islanders visit this far inland you see."

Ryoko gave the monk another look of bafflement. She was joking before, but did he really not know what a taxi was? Maybe that sake he kept swigging had sterilized his brain. It would certainly explain his strange comments, and why his breath made her nauseous.

"One of us is very confused, and I honestly don't know which. Just out of curiosity, what year do you even think it is?" She said sarcastically, trying to decide what she would do, since it was clear now she might have to walk several miles to get to the nearest town. Her feet were going to kill her.

"Year? Well, it is the year of the cow as well as the second year of Emperor Go-Yōzei's rule." Answered the monk, looking just as confused as Ryoko was.

The two of them then stared at one another for some time. One thought the other insane, and the other thought them a crack pot. Ryoko's resolution wavered after a minute of thought however. It couldn't be. Emperor? Japan hadn't had one in over a century. The old man was crazy, had to be. But he said it with such conviction.

She shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry…that I asked."

The monk let out a huff, finally picking up on the subtle hint that was Ryoko's dislike for him.

"Despite being an islander, you could try to be a bit more respectful of the man who rescued you from starving or being eaten by demons."

Ryoko was taken aback by that last word.

"Demons?"

"Yes child, demons. Their everywhere and they would love to eat some pretty thing like you." The monk repeated as if it was the most indisputable fact there was in the world.

Ryoko blinked once, then twice.

"…you're mental. Goodbye."

With that, Ryoko continued her way down the stone steps, the monk following closely behind, not knowing what the young woman was up to or where she thought she was going, but certain that it would be most entertaining.

* * *

><p>I am not quite sure when exactly the Inuyasha series takes place in Edo era Japan, as there is much debate among the fans. So I just looked up one of the many emperors who ruled through the Edo era. If anyone does have a better, and more precise date for when Inuyasha actually takes place, please let me know so I can save face and all that.<p>

Alright, join me next time in the next chapter, Ryoko faces a strange reality in which drunk monks and demons exist. Will she accept it? Or will she just go stir crazy? Thanks for the support and for you guys just being so wonderful! Next chapter will be up in a day or two.


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